TechCrunch Desktop Logo
TechCrunch Mobile Logo

This is not a drill: Microsoft admits Windows Phone is dead for real

Romain Dillet

It’s time to say goodbye for real this time. Windows Phone’s death has been slow and painful, but, as CNET spotted, the head of Microsoft’s Windows division finally admitted you shouldn’t expect anything more when it comes to Windows Phone.

Microsoft doesn’t plan to let existing Windows Phone users down — there will be security updates. But don’t expect anything new. Joe Belfiore admitted that Microsoft isn’t working on any software or hardware update.

He even admitted that there’s no way to solve Microsoft’s app problems. Companies and indie developers simply don’t want to work on Windows Phone apps — most of them probably never cared in the first place.

So there you have it. Microsoft is giving up. This isn’t the first time Microsoft is realizing things are going awry. TechCrunch’s Natasha Lomas even wrote that Windows Phone 7 was doomed back in 2012.

It’s a shame because Windows Phone’s user interface was interesting. Most of the operating system featured a black background with a focus on text instead of icons. The home screen wasn’t just a boring grid of icons and widgets, it featured tiles with previews of your apps. Microsoft tried something different with Windows Phone, but it wasn’t enough.

Microsoft is going to focus on mobile in different ways. The company has been working on mobile apps and some of them are quite successful. For instance, Microsoft Edge is coming to Android and iOS. The company has dozens of apps on iOS and Android, including Microsoft Office, Outlook, Swiftkey, Skype and more.

In other words, Microsoft is copying Sega and developing for other platforms.

Topics

, , ,
Romain Dillet
Romain Dillet was a Senior Reporter at TechCrunch until April 2025. He has written over 3,500 articles on technology and tech startups and has established himself as an influential voice on the European tech scene. He has a deep background in startups, AI, fintech, privacy, security, blockchain, mobile, social and media. With thirteen years of experience at TechCrunch, he’s one of the familiar faces of the tech publication that obsessively covers Silicon Valley and the tech industry — his career started at TechCrunch when he was 21. Based in Paris, many people in the tech ecosystem consider him as the most knowledgeable tech journalist in town. Romain likes to spot important startups before anyone else. He was the first person to cover Revolut, Alan and N26. He has written scoops on large acquisitions from Apple, Microsoft and Snap. When he’s not writing, Romain is also a developer — he understands how the tech behind the tech works. He also has a deep historical knowledge of the computer industry for the past 50 years. He knows how to connect the dots between innovations and the effect on the fabric of our society. Romain graduated from Emlyon Business School, a leading French business school specialized in entrepreneurship. He has helped several non-profit organizations, such as StartHer, an organization that promotes education and empowerment of women in technology, and Techfugees, an organization that empowers displaced people with technology.
View Bio
April 30
San Francisco, CA


StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited.

REGISTER NOW
Loading the next article
Error loading the next article